Lucifarge began to sense a growing disparity between his power and the monsters as he ventured deeper into the monster zone. While he could manage against mid-tier monsters in earlier battles, the increasing challenges became evident.
Checking his status once again, he noticed that he remained at level 48 for the past few hours, with experience points stalled at 3000. Unable to keep up with the onslaught of monsters, he decided it was time to return, especially as his MP continued to increase, boosting his recovery rate per second.
'It's time to go back!'
He stored away his 'Trump Card Sword,' a name he had given rather lamely, back into his dimension. Stretching, he dashed towards the border, also picking up Purity, who had been grinding at the border.
Estimating the time, he found that he had improved his pace and could return to the cat kin village in about an hour. Although he had only been away for two days, the outcome of his actions remained uncertain, and he couldn't help but ponder the consequences.
Just 2 km away from the village, the tiger kins were forming a line with displeased expressions. Discontent with the perceived betrayal by the cat kins, they cursed the hobgoblin who had beaten down their comrades during the tax collection.
Their leader, seated in a covered palanquin, awaited the report with fur glowing in orange hues and black lines emphasizing up to his eyebrow. Maintaining patience for the report, he abruptly opened his eyes when he felt a familiar presence.
"Stop the formation," he commanded his servants, but it seemed they couldn't hear him. Despite screaming again, he produced no sound. His servants couldn't hear him because he was the one unable to make them hear him.
Amidst this happening, he felt his hands tremble as he recognized the phenomenon. The reason he couldn't move was clear—it was a curse. He didn't know the specifics of the curse, but its undeniable effect paralyzed him.
Grains of sweat formed and dropped as he couldn't stop trembling. In an instant, he froze as he felt the presence growing stronger. Alarmed, he finally recognized the presence—it was indeed a divine beast, not just any, but their god, the white tiger beast. He felt nothing but remorse and concern for his servants.
"My lord, the number who joined the march is nearly 40. With this number, we can pass judgment on the criminals—not only for not paying their taxes properly but also for harboring a monster on the premises. It is indeed a crime," a voice from his servant approached his ear. He felt hope when someone was near him to call and tried to call for them.
"Hm.Hm. (No! Go back!)" he groaned, attempting to make a proper sound from his mouth.
"That's all for the report." Unfortunately, the servant misunderstood the call as an answer from his master. Consequently, the leader continued to suffer, feeling the curse drive him crazy. He couldn't take it anymore, with beads of sweat flowing like a waterfall.
After a few moments, the marching stopped, and silence nearly deafened him. Left in trembles, he couldn't hear what was happening outside. Attempts to move failed as the only sense remaining was his vision.
It was like watching a performance without sound—for the leader, unable to move, talk, or hear, the curse intensified as they approached the divine beast. The curse seemed to isolate him from his servants, who couldn't perceive the depth of their master's distress.
***
[Rewards stats for every move down to a 3% chance.]
Lucifarge almost dropped his jaw in a few seconds. Regaining his composure, he nodded as he finally faced the hard mode of his life. The five boosts had made him ignorant. He hadn't considered effort, merely going with the flow. Just being like this made him feel the same as he did back on Earth.
Purity started to show fatigue, so Lucifarge let him rest inside the dimension. As he continued going back to the forest, the moment the forest appeared in his field of view, he felt a different presence yet similar to Shiro.
"What is this? Is it just me, or have my senses improved even more?" he muttered.
[It was indeed the result of your grinding, Hanzel.]
He nodded as he continued to dash into the forest, leaping on branches and swinging through vines. After a couple of minutes, he realized the presence he felt earlier was a sibling or the same being as Shiro, only more powerful.
Lucifarge paused, sniffed, and smelled a familiar scent. It was from the tiger kin; they were just meters away from the village and from his position. Concerned about what would happen, he rushed towards the direction of the tiger kins and stood in front of them.
The tiger kins halted their march, confused about what stopped them. A hobgoblin with weird clothes and stature stood before them. They felt inferior for a moment, but their thoughts quickly shifted. They smirked, and the captain who led them spoke.
"///So, you were the hobgoblin they were talking about, huh? I commend you for your bravery, but it's futile. You're just courting your own death.///" The captain lifted his sword, but in a few moments, he froze and felt a glare from behind. The hobgoblin that was just in front of him moments ago was now behind him.
Lucifarge struck the nape of the captain's neck, catching him as he started to fall.
"///Is this your leader? Can't you understand what everything meant? The cat kins are my followers! I will protect them.///"
*ding*
---
Sudden Quest
Defeat the tiger kins and save the cat kins from them
Time: 10 minutes
Reward(s): Cat kins submission
Failure Penalty: Lose of the cat kins
---
Lucifarge scanned the text in front of him. He let go of the captain he was just lifting and cracked his neck.
"///Now, we are talking about a fight.///"
Without even starting a declaration, the tiger kins attacked together. Lucifarge was obviously outnumbered, but in terms of strength, he could handle it all day.
He slid through their arms and struck with an elbow. The tiger kins went down one by one as Lucifarge approached each of them.
From consecutive punches to straight kicks to the temple, the servants who were just lifting the palanquin fell into despair. Hope was just a joke in the face of the monstrous prowess of the hobgoblin. They couldn't even put up a proper fight, let alone run away from their position. The only hope they had was their mighty master inside the palanquin.
The servants rushed to report to their master, but when they peeked, beads of sweat formed on their foreheads. It was hopeless; their master had lost consciousness.
"///No one can put up a fight?///"
*ding*
[Sudden Quest successfully completed. The cat kins witnessed your bravery and felt their hearts moved. They will decide if they will truly follow you until the next generation.]
Lucifarge's eyes shone as he read every word on the screen. The rewards he had just earned were a strong stepping stone to his success. The full submission of the cat kins was significant, as he finally gained real followers. Not because they feared him or put their hope in him, but because they trusted him as their master.
*ding* *ding*
[You level up! Evolution will commence, do you wish to continue?]
"Ah." A voice slipped through Lucifarge's mouth as he read the notification. He leveled up twice and now evolved to the next race. "Finally, some sign of a new face. It's only been three days since I recovered my consciousness, but now, just how generous is the heavens? YES!"
[Evolution will now commence...] At the words of the system, Tema, Lucifarge's body started to glow as his limbs and flesh began to reform.